The Virtual CIO

You’ve got a lot of balls. But do you have what it takes to keep them in the air?

Copping to a lack of resources or expertise and seeking support with your juggling act is always a show of strength. Even if the office into which most of your high-flying orbs tumble is that of the chief information officer.

Wanted: Technological Expertise

Most small businesses don’t have a CIO. Indeed, many are blessed to be able to lay claim to an on-staff resource who possesses any genuine understanding of technology at all. In this expert’s absence, dealing with technology audits, staying on top of software developments and operating a company whose technology goals are in concert with its business goals can be daunting in the extreme.

Unable to upgrade infrastructures or adopt new stuff fast enough to keep pace with technology’s progress, and without the benefit of a staffer who’s got a grip on technology’s strategic role in their firm, these guys plod on.

It’s a call for outsourced information technology expertise if ever there was one. So you can’t afford to take a full-time CIO on staff? You still need the technology-informed management expertise that comes with the job.

The Benefits of Going Virtual

The concept of a virtual CIO is smart as hell. Here, you’ve got a technically-ripped resource that draws nothing from your benefits pool but is always on call for rescue and recovery.

More than that, he can align your company’s corporate strategy with its IT planning, set the place up with appropriate architecture and responsibly maintain valuable IT investments. He can act as a liaison between the C-suite and IT. And he can see to training in-house individuals responsibly, so the firm’s productivity losses from system downtime are minimized.

Ignore IT at Your Peril

Information technology leaves fingerprints across all aspects of a business — strategic and financial — and management ignores this at their peril. Nobody knows the precise rate of failure for software projects, though different sources peg it at somewhere between 35%-70%.

While technological failings bear some of the blame for these breakdowns, so too does an organizing force that can deliver on a corporate vision’s promise — inside time and financial constraints — through the clever application of appropriate technology. Or lack thereof.

Work Smart with Outsourced Services

By retaining an outside resource to manage and direct IT smartly, organizations enjoy a cost-effective technology strategy without the expensive overheads associated with a permanent senior technology hire.

Outsourced CIO services, like those on offer from 360 Visibility, help companies bridge the gap between IT and business. They centralize IT efforts, maximize today’s technological advancements, oversee day-to-day IT management and provide strategic IT decision-making prowess.

And all for 30%-50% less than it would cost to add a full-time professional to the staff.

At 360, we have the skills and expertise to assist your organization with all aspects of technology, from strategic IT decision-making right through ongoing, day-to-day IT management. Tap our experience, energy and leadership skills, and enjoy the addition of a virtual executive to your staff who can help keep every last one of your balls aloft.

As the Senior Manager of Cloud Solutions at 360 Visibility, Jason has combined his technical and business development backgrounds to expand cloud based services and the company’s infrastructure customer base. Having a long standing family history of hard working entrepreneurs, Jason has developed a strong desire for business growth.

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